Egypt constitutional referendum rejected

Supporters of Egypt's president Mohamed Mursi hold banners
reading 'I support the President's decisions', during a
march in Cairo. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih

Egypt's main opposition coalition has announced its
rejection of a constitutional referendum set by Islamist
President Mohamed Mursi for December 15.

In a statement read by its spokesman, the National Salvation
Front also called for mass protests on Tuesday against a
draft constitution that it said lacked consensus and did not
properly represent the interests of women and minorities.

"The National Salvation Front rejects the referendum to be
held on December 15," Hussein Abdel Ghani told a news
conference. "We are against this process from start to
finish."

A statement from the Front said: "Holding a referendum now in
the absence of security reflects haste and an absence of a
sense of responsibility on the part of the regime, which
risks pushing the country towards violent confrontation."

The main leaders of the Front, its coordinator Mohamed
ElBaradei, former Foreign Minister Amr Moussa and leftist
Hamdeen Sabahy, did not attend the news conference.